White.— 0/i the Wild Dogs of New Zealand. 327 



Art. XXXVII. — On the Wild Dogs of New Zealand. 

 By Tayloe White. 



[Bead before the Hazoke's Bay Philosophical Institute, 12th August, 



1SS9.] 



Having had the misfortune to become acquainted with wild 

 dogs in the earher days of settlement on new country, I will 

 here give a description of nine. 



I consider these dogs entirely distinct from the European 

 dog. For the wild dogs met with on the Waimakariri Eiver, in 

 the alpine ranges of Canterbury, during the year 1856, were in 

 colour and markings identical with those found in the alpine 

 region of Lake Wakatipu, Otago, in 1860, a distance of several 

 hundred miles apart. There seems little room to doubt that 

 they were an original Maori dog. The fact of their wanting 

 the two tan spots over the eyes mostly seen in European dogs 

 of approximate colour is a very strong evidence also in favour 

 of this opinion. 



No. 1 : White with patches of light gamboge-yellow, short 

 Jiair, prick ears, longer hair on tail ; dog ; shot by self. No. 2 : 

 White, slight marks of black, slightly freckled with black 

 short hair ; dog ; average size of a collie dog. No. 3 : Dun or 

 yellowish-brown, low-standing, hair long ; slut. Nos. 2 and 3 

 lived together, and were poisoned. Only seen at a distance 

 many times through a good telescope. I was told they were 

 found dead near a nest under rock-shelter, in which were 

 three dead pups. These dogs caused me a deal of work, I and 

 my hutkeeper having to take turn-about in camping at night 

 in the open on the further side of the sheep, the other sleeping 

 in the tent. No. 1 was shot in the early morning, as he walked 

 about quietly among the ew^es and lambs which had not left 

 camping-ground. He would walk after a lamb, when, the ewe 

 turning to face him, the dog turned his head away, and was 

 apparently interested in some distant object ; on the ewe 

 ceasing to notice him he would approach a little nearer, in a 

 stealthy manner ; so the flock were very little disturbed, only 

 a few moving from before him. This was suddenly put a stop 

 to by a bullet of lead from a tea-chest beaten up solid. The 

 other two, working together, appeared to keep watch if the 

 sheep were without protection in the day-time, when they 

 picked the lambs, seizing them by the skin of the shoulder, 

 which, if they escaped, would hang below the wound in a 

 triangular flap, point downwards. One day I left the flock for 

 a short time, and on my return they gave me a cheer, whether 

 in the form of a howl or of a bark I cannot now define, before 

 they disappeared over a hill-top, having visited the flock in my 



